Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ensenada

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,067 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ensenada

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Ensenada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,067 in Ensenada.

Medellin $1,639
Ensenada $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,704 in Ensenada.

Medellin $2,413
Ensenada $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,340 in Ensenada.

Medellin $3,186
Ensenada $2,340

Living in Medellin is roughly 54% more expensive than in Ensenada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ensenada is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$12.01 MX$225

-32.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$33.29 MX$624

41.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.07 MX$133

34.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.99 MX$56.0

0.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.19 MX$22.36

51.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.70 MX$13.16

101.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.72 MX$50.9

16.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.08 MX$76.5

40.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.79 MX$33.64

-15.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$2.64 MX$49.45

-9.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.64 MX$30.68

7.93%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.53 MX$47.45

14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.12 MX$152

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.72 MX$126

46.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$10.16 MX$190

37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.17 MX$40.71

82.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.55 MX$29.12

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.78 MX$33.30

22.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.59 MX$29.83

37.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.31 MX$24.61

49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.78 MX$33.44

-10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.44 MX$26.92

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.05 MX$19.72

18.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.93 MX$73.7

0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$13.15 MX$246

4.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.75 MX$32.86

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.64 MX$49.49

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.84 MX$15.83

39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$42.37 MX$794

82.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.78 MX$52.1

-54.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.91 MX$35.81

7.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$19.18 MX$359

-55.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.39 MX$26.04

-2.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$24.6K MX$460.6K

38.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$23.3K MX$436.9K

48.71%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 547.7K

$46.42 MX$870

265.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$31.55 MX$591

-57.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$25.24 MX$473

11.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$27.30 MX$512

60.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.72 MX$201

60.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.49 MX$84.2

53.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.6M

$190 MX$3,569

318.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,838 MX$90.7K

88.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$53.2 MX$996

59.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$41.89 MX$785

38.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$102 MX$1,919

31.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$57.5 MX$1,078

70.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$518 MX$9,706

133.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$322 MX$6,026

99.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$977 MX$18.3K

107.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$641 MX$12.0K

57.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,346 MX$25.2K

209.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$666 MX$12.5K

186.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$650 MX$12.2K

1.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.3

-3.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ensenada: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ensenada

$322 30.1% 49.9% $320

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ensenada

$251 23.5% 15.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ensenada

$103 9.7% 51.1% $108

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ensenada

$182 17.1% 7.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ensenada

$115 10.8% 32.1% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ensenada

$58 5.4% 37.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ensenada

$36 3.4% 36.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $518 in Ensenada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $33 in Ensenada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $251 per month, with Ensenada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

3 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

330,652

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Ensenada 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Medellin
Ensenada

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Ensenada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,067 in Ensenada, so Ensenada is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,601 in Ensenada to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $518 in Ensenada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,067 in Ensenada – Ensenada is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ensenada runs roughly 45% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ensenada gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ensenada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.